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Leading independent broadcaster ITV has announced a new and exciting interpretation of the classic Jane Austen work to fit in with new broadcasting rules announced by the government yesterday. The full show will total two hours but will be ‘pithy, punchy and relevant to today’s audience’, and shown in 30 second episodes between all the adverts.

‘Previous adaptations have developed the work slowly, building up expectations and tensions gradually and leaving hearts fluttering for anyone who was prepared to invest their time on it,’ said ITV head of production Grant Stainesworth, ‘but in today’s world we think we can tantalise and delight our audience, every night, just after a thirty minute ad for l’Oreal, with explosive yet compact scenes of sexual suggestion and aspiration.’

‘Every night,’ he promised, ‘for eight months, it’ll be like D’Arcy coming out of the lake for the first time. Except this time he’ll be clutching a Gilette razor and rubbing his smooth chin towards the camera.’

If I wasn't leery of some producer taking this satiricalarticle and running with it, I would find it more amusing... It sounds crazy enough (and marketable too) that some executive would try this. Seeing as I'm currently annoyed with BBC's decisions, all that's left is for them to announce that this is part of their new initiative. (Out with the bonnet dramas, in with the bonnet adverts!) Wonder if they'd find room for Colin Firth's Oxfam ad?

All her friends told her she was perfect for Emma Woodhouse, which rather riled her. "I guess they think I'm bossy. I'm not a good manipulator, it's true. I never censor myself; I'm like a bull in a china shop. Also, you can wind me up very quickly." Has she ever really lost her temper at work? "No, but only because I'm not in a powerful enough position to do so. They would just fire me. But I definitely have creative disagreements with people. Maybe it's my background, I'm the kind of person who thinks an argument is kinda fun. But most of the creative people I've worked with seem to enjoy it. I don't get upset, I just actively disagree." She never trained as an actor, and has a swotty approach to her script. "Mine's the one covered with Post-it notes and highlighted all over. My technique is basically acting by stationery."Read the rest here...

Andrew Davies, (writer behind the BBC's award-winning Bleak House, Little Dorrit and Pride and Prejudice,) said the corporation is interested only in the "popular warhorses" of literary fiction.

His planned adaptations of Dombey and Son, one of Charles Dickens' lesser-read stories, and of the Pallisernovels by Anthony Trollope, were both scrapped. Instead, the BBC has asked for yet another adaptation of David Copperfield.

I have to say I'm disappointed in this news. I had assumed that when we heard that Davies was working on both of those adaptations that he had already received the green light from the BBC. I don't know that we need another Copperfield? I'm hoping that Middlemarch is still going ahead??

Janine played Mrs. Meagles in "Little Dorrit" as well as acting in "Vanity Fair","the Young Visiters" (as Queen Victoria) and "Angel".

Ruby (in centre) took on the role of Mary Bennett in "Lost in Austen"and she can also be seen in "Lark Rise to Candleford" as Minnie.

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Joseph Fiennes and his wife Maria Dolores Dieguez have just announced they're expecting!Joseph is the brother of Ralph Fiennes. Joseph is known for his role in Shakespeare in Loveand is listed as being in production for Vivaldi.His nephew, Hero Fiennes-Tiffin is also an actor, appearing in Harry Potter.

Interesting trivia from IMDb:Both Joseph and his brother, Ralph Fiennes, have romanced the same leading lady,Cate Blanchett, in different films;Joseph in Elizabeth (1998) and Ralph in Oscar and Lucinda (1997).

I recently found out that although Little Dorrit won the Emmy for costume design, much of their wardrobe was "recycled" which is surprising that it was nominated for that award. I made a little visit to Katie's site and found a few more additions of outfits that appear in more than one drama...

On left,here's a familiar scene with Margaret Hale in "North & South" but did you know that the dress is also seen on an actress who's starred in an Austen film and wore the dress in "Madame Bovary"...

The latest flash mob involved 80 professional dancers who taught the moves to 800 willing fans who in turn taught over 20,000 people on the day of the event. The Black Eyed Peas performed their song "I Gotta Feeling" for Oprah's 24th season premiere.

From Time to Time is an upcoming 2009 British adventure film directed by Julian Fellowes adapted from a novel by Lucy M. Boston."A haunting ghost story spanning two worlds, two centuries apart. When 13 year old Tolly finds he can mysteriously travel between the two, he begins an adventure that unlocks family secrets laid buried for generations."IMDb

My friend makes fun of my fascination with fashion that's black and white so it's not surprising that I would be interested in this biopic of Coco Chanel starring Audrey Tautou (known for her roles in Amelie & A Very Long Engagement).

I'm a big fan of the Jane Eyre musical written by Paul Gordon. A member of C19 mentioned that there is a production underway in Japan which I would love to see if I was so lucky to be there!Japanese production

The sky is the limit for actress, Romola Garai. Not only has she landed her dream role – playing the lead in Sandy Welch's forthcoming adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma – she is also due to graduate with a BA in English Literature after four years of study.

The Atonement star and self-confessed busy-bee says: "I'm about to graduate! I have my last exam in September. It's taken me four years to do a BA on the Open University; I've doubled up on some of the course because normally it takes around six years.

"To be honest, when I finish my degree I don't know what I am going to do – I am going to have to develop some kind of strange hobby I think!"

But on the serious time management skills that have come into play in order to juggle a flourishing acting career with her final year of studies, the 27-year-old, who was brought up in Hong Kong and Singapore before moving to the UK at the age of 10, admits it hasn't all been plain sailing.

"When you are working it can get difficult. On Emma, when we were filming I'd quite often get picked up at 5.00am to shoot all day and not finish until eight or nine at night; and if you have an essay it's very difficult to find time to do it. But if you have to do it, you do it!"

Romola's love for literature, and particularly Jane Austen's work, meant that getting the chance to play Emma – the beautiful, clever and rich 21-year-old who greatly overestimates her matchmaking abilities – was an extra special achievement for her; even though she can't deny being a little nervy about following hot on the heels of Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow.

"Most girls my age will have seen the film with Gwyneth Paltrow, which I really, really enjoyed. I thought it was lovely and it did obviously cross my mind that, God, this has been done really, really well previously. That was a source of concern for me – but not enough to turn it down!

"I have never done an Austen adaptation before and, in terms of my own personal taste, there is no one that can touch her for writing female characters. I even think I prefer her characterisation to George Eliot or any of the other 19th century novelists.

"It's a book that I knew really well. It's probably always been my favourite of the Austen novels so it was obviously a big deal for me to get to audition to play the part as she has definitely always been my favourite heroine."

Romola's academic endeavours and love for literature led her to her own unique interpretation and portrayal of Emma, a character she says she is very fond of and can relate to.

"Emma isn't flawless, and I suppose there are some people that innately relate to Lizzie Bennet [Pride And Predjudice], but I always thought there was something terrifyingly perfect about Elizabeth Bennett in the way she effortlessly seems to always know the right thing to say.

"Emma is just beautifully flawed, properly fleshed out as a character and has a wonderful spirit and wit as most of Austen's heroines, but she has this horrendous egocentricity which gives the arc to the story. I felt that I could relate to her as a character because of those flaws.

"I am always naturally drawn to heroines that have human flaws because I enjoy people that have lived their life with courage and make big successes and big failures. I like big personalities and people who don't care who is watching and so I think Emma personifies a lot of those qualities.

"The idea of someone being naughty and wicked and undermining their social constraints I find very, very attractive in female characters."

Despite her fondness for Emma, Romola believes if it weren't for Mr Knightley, her neighbour from the adjacent estate of Donwell, things could have turned out rather differently.

"Mr Knightley is a really important character in the story. It sounds a trite thing to say but I think fundamentally Emma would not be a nice person, and probably a person you wouldn't want to be friends with, if it weren't for Mr Knightley.

"I think he has a profound effect on her personality. He is the only one who has enough power to tell her off! He is also the person in the story who is bright enough to battle with her. She is very bright, she is witty, but he is rich and powerful enough to give her the natural check that keeps her within the realm of being a likable person.

"I think there is a very good chance that if you were to project into a future without him she would be a spoilt little madam!"

On Emma's somewhat complicated relationship with her anxious, hypochondriac father, Mr Woodhouse, Romola says: "Her relationship with her father, although very affectionate and warm, is unfulfilling – which is why she seeks out her relationship with Mr Knightley, a relationship which gives her some boundaries.

"She doesn't concentrate on her own romantic life and because her father is very materialistic and cannot see any reason to get married, and she is already wealthy, there is that kind of displacement where she doesn't feel like she needs it herself.

"It sounds like a paradox but she is genuinely a kind-hearted, generous person. She wants the people around her to have the best because she loves them. Unfortunately she perceives the best for them as material and social prosperity – she pushes her values onto the people around her. So someone like Harriet, who would have been perfectly happy marrying a very kind and respectful man who loved her very much, is put through this horrendous process of social improvement because Emma doesn't deem him good enough!"

"I know I will be really, really sad to finish my degree. The way it's played out is when I'm not working it keeps me absolutely sane as it's very, very easy to become a crazy person in this world. So when I'm not working I sit down for two hours every day and do two hours of study.

"It's been an amazing thing that I have been able to have it both ways. I was able to start my career very early through not going to university and that was a real sadness to me. But I have been able to get the further education that I really wanted and enjoy and I don't see any reason why in a couple of years I couldn't carry on and do an MA in English Literature. But, equally, I may turn round and say that's the last thing I want to do!"

With a Knighthood, CBE and string of credits spanning the West End to Hollywood, one would assume there is little left for Michael Gambon to achieve.

However his role as Mr Woodhouse – the anxious, hypochondriac father of Emma Woodhouse in Sandy Welch's BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's comical novel, Emma – is a first for the acclaimed actor.

It is the only Jane Austen adaptation that the Irish-born actor has worked on in a career spanning some 50 years, which has seen him play in classics such as Othello and Macbeth and saw him hand-picked by Laurence Oliver as one of the founding actors of the National Theatre Company back in the Sixties.

Michael doesn't claim to be well-read on all of the classics – in fact he admits to not knowing the original story of Emma or much about Jane Austen.

"I didn't know Jane Austen nor had I read the books," he says.

"I have been in five Harry Potter films and never read a Harry Potter book! If you are an actor all you have is the script you are given. If you read the book you might get disappointed about what's been left out. All you have got is the script so I think it's safer just to follow that – well that's my excuse for not reading the book!

"If you obey the writer it will play the part for you – that's the same with every role.

However, any lack of familiarity with Austen's original text certainly didn't deter Michael from taking to Sandy Welch's script adaptation immediately and also enjoying the experience immensely.

"It's been one of the happiest things I have ever been in! It was a flawless, very happy experience and we all got on like a house on fire – all of the actors. That's quite an unusual thing.

"Sandy's dialogue is very good. It's quite complicated dialogue for the period – I like the way she writes. There is no modern stuff in it. It's quite accurate for the period and it's a good, intriguing story. Emma grows up and becomes a woman of the world in the end."

With fresh eyes on the character the star of Harry Potter and Gosford Park was able to inject his very own interpretation on the complex character that is Mr Woodhouse.

"He is a bit old-fashioned and stuck in a time warp, and during the film he changes and becomes more aware that Emma has to go and he can't continue like this. He becomes more worldly.

"He is living in a society where germs are everywhere, unlike today. In those days there was no medicine, no cure for anything so he is panic-stricken about someone getting sick or falling down or getting a cold. I suppose many people must have been like that, we think it's unusual but it must have been quite common then."

On the root of Mr Woodhouse's insecurities, and his dependency on his young daughter Emma, Michael says: "He is frightened of being alone. I think it was a lot to do with losing his wife and the fear that the same thing might happen to his children. He doesn't want Emma to run away and for him to be left alone in that house with no one to look after him. I suppose he is a bit selfish in the way older people can be.

"It's not evident he ever feels guilty about it though. Maybe he does at the end when he realises that the girl has got to go free and fly away. Maybe then he realises what he has been doing all of these years.

"Emma is quite an independent strong-willed girl. I suppose she doesn't want to go down the road that other women of her age go down; she is a bit of a loner and likes to have control. That's her journey through the story."

And the actor, whose next role will see him back at the National Theatre in a play by Alan Bennett, has a fatherly affection for Emma's character: "She is very bright, hugely intelligent. I think it wouldn't have mattered what happened. She'd always be on the right path, I think."

Glorious 39 had its world premiere at tiff (Toronto Int'l Film Festival) on Sept 19, 2009.

Starring: Romola Garai, Bill Nighy, Julie Christie, David Tennant, Hugh Bonneville, Eddie Redmayne, Juno Temple and Jeremy Northam. Directed by Stephen Poliakoff, the film is "a mysterious tale set around a traditional British family on the eve of World War II"

... set between present-day London and the idyllic British countryside in the time before the beginning of the Second World War. At a time of uncertainty and high tension, the story revolves around the formidable Keyes family, who are keen to uphold and preserve their very traditional way of life. The eldest sibling Anne is a budding young actress who is in love with Foreign Office official Lawrence, but her seemingly perfect life begins to dramatically unravel when she stumbles across secret recordings of the pro-appeasement movement. While trying to discover the origin of these recordings, dark secrets are revealed which lead to the death of a great friend. As war breaks out Anne discovers the truth and flees to London to try to confirm her suspicions, but she is caught and imprisoned and only then does she finally begin to discover how badly she has been betrayed.(IMDb)

With much anticipation for BBC's upcoming mini-series of Jane Austen's Emma, we now get to take a look at some promotional shots of the cast. I peeked at these last week but I'm trying not to look at anything else until it actually airs on October 4th. I find knowing too much beforehand tends to spoil it for me. Then I thought others might like to see these so I'm posting some mockups of the originals that I found on Shootastic.

And my fave pic of the bunch is not of Emma or Knightley but of Sir Michael Gambon as Mr. Woodhouse.(If only he were in North & South, he'd be in all 3 of Gaskell's adaptations. One of my fave actors!)